A life worth living
by Thorvaiso
Summary: I have been less than optimistic about her purpose for staying with us. Her efforts are minimal and the extra work she provides us with is effort I could spend doing useful things. However if Sif claims that this is the way forward for the both of us, I will comply. Slice of Life and meaningful character development a plenty, with some deeper topics hiding underneath the surface.


**AN: Alrighty, here it is. First time uploading anything, so it will probably look janky in some places. but that's alright. No idea how this story will be received, so let's find out. Hope you guys have an open mind about all of this and don't start reading this while being very prejudiced about OC story's or writers who are at least somewhat confident in their ability to write something compelling. This story has been in the works for a really long time (more than a year fml), with numerous established writers on this platform already having taken a look at excerpts from this story which they really liked. Hopefully that goes the same for all of you!**

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I stop for a moment to take in every detail of the forest around me. The trees were swaying lightly in the breeze. The presence of bugs everywhere around me, appearing to me as tiny specks of light. Some even take an apparent interest in me, meaning I swat a mosquito or two off of my arms, I can't find the motivation to swat the ones on my legs off though. They would be back within seconds anyway. Further up ahead is a lifeform sitting on the surface instead of deep in its burrow. For me that means one thing and that thing was dinner. I take one last look back at my camp, a nice comfortable pile of leaves which would serve as a bed. Some sticks thrown together in a pyre of sorts which would serve as my campfire tonight with the help of a little bit of magic. Home sweet home, at least for tonight.

About a five minute walk away from my current makeshift camp -and that's still a generous thing to call it- , is a small clearing in the otherwise thick, lush and overgrown forest. The sun able to pierce the canopy for more than a couple of square centimeters allows for a pleasant warmth to be present in the otherwise temperate area. Sitting square in the middle of the clearing was a single rabbit, the rodent I sensed earlier. It is in the prime of its life, the shining example of what a young adult rabbit should look like. More importantly, the rabbit is pleasantly fat and would most certainly serve as my dinner.

As I stalk closer, taking great care to avoid making any unnecessary noise as well as preparing a small spell to end it's life, the rabbit simply continued nibbling on some grass or whatever it was that it fancied at the time. My eyes at this point are completely dilated, the world around me appearing many times brighter than it would otherwise be. Now finally being in range, I formed a magic circle around the pebble in my hand. The rabbit perked up at that, apparently noticing something was amiss but not realizing the immediate danger around 40ft away from it. It was alert though, it's ears up to intently listen for whatever it was that went on around him. So I respond in kind, completely freezing hoping the rabbit would resume it's activity of getting even fatter by continuing to eat.

After 20 seconds the rabbit did do exactly that, deeming the possible threat had passed and he was clear to be out in the open. Continuing to nibble on the lush grass. Funny how that really is the number one priority for any living being on this world. I carefully aim the small pebble right at the center of it's head, intending for it to be a clean kill. The magic takes effect and propels the small pebble at nearly the speed of a bullet. The rabbit, hearing the unfamiliar sound of my spell whizzing does unfortunately decide that it is in danger after all. Sprinting away the moment the magic circle took effect, only managing to get a step in before the pebble crashed through it's hind-leg.

The rabbit still tried to get up and get away from whatever it is that attacked it, but struggling on the ground is all it could do as it is now effectively crippled. Not wasting a second, I rush over to the rabbit and realize once more that it's not always nice to be as attuned to nature and senjutsu as a Nekoshou. Reading the energy of all living things around me is a nice and useful skill, I can tell when people are sick and what they are sick from for example. The downside to all of this is that I cannot tune it out, it effectively works like a sixth sense.

So the waves of distress and pain coming from this small creature roll over me and I bite back the urge to stagger and gag. Steeling myself with the notion of food being the most important thing for any organism. Reaching the rabbit I picked it up and curled my hands around its neck. And in a complete daze, trying to block out as much of the energy it was giving off I snapped it in one swift motion. The sickening aura it had before was now completely gone, There is now just silence where there previously was a metaphorical fire-alarm screeching. And that silence is maybe even more sickening than the distress it was giving off earlier. Doubly so as I am the one responsible for it.

Taking a breather to get my digestive system in check, I head to back to camp with my prize in hand. As I'm walking back I have the opportunity to occupy myself with one of my favorite pastimes. 'Lamenting on my life thus far and pretending as if I'm talking to someone or something', maybe even narrate it. Because having been in the wilderness for almost 3 years living like this is definitely not on the agenda of any normal 16 year old and has the side effects of being desperate for interaction.

Believe me when I say that this is not something I do for fun, but I haven't really been left a choice in the matter. Or maybe I did have a choice at some point in life, and I made the choice a couple of years ago when I decided to end some scumbags life who threatened the one thing I had left in my life. Could a fourteen-year-old ever have predicted that the entirety of devil society would spit her out? Could she have predicted that her sister would be hurt by her actions rather than feel grateful? Could she have predicted that she would sit here reminiscing her actions and feeling like a complete idiot some 3 years after all of that happened? Probably not, but that wouldn't stop me from regretting everything that happened. Even if it happened with the best intentions for my little white-sound.

Being snapped out of my negative thoughts by my arrival at camp, I immediately get to work on skinning the rabbit as I am practically starving. Taking great care to not cut and peel away any useable meat. I'm quite pleased that it is now possible for me to use most parts of whatever I killed. Some furs could used to cover a log to function as a pillow, Bones could be used to make a broth of sorts. Given I had at least some herbs to make it edible. And meat was meat, juicy succulent meat. After having done everything necessary to start cooking the rabbit I make my way over to the the small pond near camp to drink some water. And take a minute to admire myself in my reflection on the water's surface.

My hair is greasy, muddy and tangled beyond believe. It is also incredibly long, much longer than suited me. My arms are skinny, like twigs, the bones protruding quite noticeably. The meager clothing I'm wearing was torn and ripped in several places, anyone with any form of self respect and literally any alternative would pick the alternative. My face however was the truly frightening part about my appearance. It is so gaunt, I am almost scared to bring my hand up to it and touch my cheeks. Afraid I will crumble into dust if I so much as graze it. The bags under my eyes speaking volumes about the amount of rest I get. 'Feral' Was the first word that came to mind when looking at my own face, and that both saddened and scared me.

Deciding I had enough to drink and definitely had enough of seeing my face being in the sorry state it was currently in, I make my way back to camp and subsequently my dinner. After finishing up the rabbit and eagerly getting started on devouring every bit of meat on it that I could. The meat was kind of tasteless, While the rabbit was quite fat it still feels like just a snack, not getting more than a few bites before it is all eaten. Yet this still feels like one of the best meals I have ever had. I allowed myself for the first time in a week or two to really relax for a bit. After all I am a fugitive, actively being hunted by devils at all times. I don't get a whole lot of rest, having to set up a plethora of wards around whatever location I was in. Scanning the area for danger every minute or so for anyone or anything that might have gotten past my barriers. But constant vigilance is very taxing on a person. So tonight I had a feeling that I could allow myself at least some rest. My now full stomach definitely helped convince me of that.

The forest around me quiets down as the night rolls in, the remaining sounds of critters and whatever birds remained lull me to sleep. I was cold, the forest was damp and my comfortable pile of leaves did nothing to shield me from the hard floor. Some rock I missed was letting me know it was there by being extremely uncomfortable. It really did feel tranquil. Moments like these become extra precious if you know a life filled with hardship. 'Funny how you can only appreciate these moments of peace when you only know a live of misery. Food for philosophers.' And with that final thought I drift off into sleep.

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My eyes jump open the moment my wards detect supernatural movement in my area. Seeing that the moon is now at a drastically different place in the night-sky a good few hours must have passed. I scramble to my feet while subsequently reaching outward with Senjutsu to see what it is that I am dealing with. The energy signatures I can see definitely belong to devils. And that all too familiar cold chill of fear runs down my spine. 'Well fuck! they found me again.' I need to get out of here and fast, luckily for me the devils are still far enough away from me. I should be able to avoid an extended direct confrontation as I can start casting the teleportation circle long before the battle starts.

Stretching my hands out I begin to visualize and calculate the jump I would have to make. As I've done this countless times now and due to that I know that it mostly needs time to form, I no longer need to pay attention to every detail though. The ground begins to glow underneath my feet as the circle starts to form. Now that that process has been started I focus my attention back to the incoming devils and they approach faster than I'd have liked to see. Well I'm not getting an easy escape this time apparently. Grimacing to myself I start to prepare my body for combat, enhancing myself with both Senjutsu and Touki.

This is a feeling I will never get used to, the energy itself definitely wasn't coming from within myself, yet it really does feel like it belongs there. It's as if I grew half a meter and am not used to my new height yet, yeah that works as an analogy. My body knew it could do things now that it would have no hope of doing without the enhancements of my sage arts. I could run for days, I could lift mountains. The power of nature ready to obey my every command, I breathe in deeply, taking the effect of this change in, this is what it felt like to truly be alive.

Having all of that power definitely makes me feel more confident as well, species less attuned to Senjutsu or novices at sage arts can get overpowered by the feeling. I remain firmly in control though, moderating the amount flowing through me.

I glance down quickly to the magic circle and am quite content to see the progress at which it is forming. We won't be exchanging a lot of blows then, it's almost done. I start charging up my first barrage of spells at them. Something that would stun or disorient them is the most preferable in this case.

Breaking into the clearing where I made my camp the devils waste no time with informing me about my arrest or anything pointless like that. They see the magic circle, they see me in a combat stance covered in a faint glow of Touki and with magic circles at the ready. The two immediately start blasting me with whatever they could think of. Or rather they don't think much at all, using whatever magic they had practiced and used for centuries to a point where it became second nature. That type of magic is one of the most potent there is. Especially considering I don't have access to that kind of magic yet as I simply lack experience.

I unleash my spells on them, the both of them responding in making a unified barrier near instantaneously. The resulting explosion is indicative of how the rest of this battle will go, however short lived it may be. It would be my hopeless attempts at stalling these two out, and them defending and attacking in perfect unison.

After the dust had barely settled and the echoes of our attacks hadn't even fully faded yet, the left one starts off with creating way more magic circles than any high-class devil had the right too all around me. Seeing as they were all convincing enough to pose a serious threat I quickly form barriers all around myself and block whatever magic circles actually fired and were not just illusions. Simultaneously the other devil prepares some real scary looking magic circles pointing directly at me from where he is standing. A frontal attack that's looking like it will hurt.

As I can't switch my defence from all around to a concentrated barrier I know that whatever was going to hit me would hurt. "I seriously hope my touki is enough for this otherwise this is gonna su-" I mutter to myself as the attack hits me in full force, my voice getting involuntarily shut as I grit my teeth again bracing myself as well as I can.

I manage to stand my ground but I do have some relatively serious injuries if the pain I feel is anything to go by. I don't dare look down to check on myself though, for fear of leaving myself open to another attack which would undoubtedly come.

The magic circle underneath my feet completed and roars to life. I can't help but smirk in victory. Teleporting to safety is a victory in my book at least, these two are far too strong for me to take on by myself right now.

And then something happened that makes my blood run cold. The magic circle was missing certain symbols and shatters to pieces not having done anything. My ticket out of here just evaporates before my eyes.

' _But I saw it just a minute ago, I made no errors when constructing it so what the hell happened to it. No one can actively influence other people's magic circle_.'

I stare in disbelief at the ground as the forest floor greets my sight instead of my ticket out of here, not being able to tear my sight away from where my circle just exploded onto itself I completely miss the next blast that is heading for me. Again with only touki to shield me from the brunt of the attack I fly back into a tree and hear a very unpleasant crack. It definitely wasn't the tree that made that horrifying noise.

Grunting in pain I look up as quickly as I can to see another blast being aimed and fired at me.

Instincts take over now, I roll away as quickly as I can with some cracked ribs. The tree I just crashed into is completely obliterated and I luckily manage to escape with only some minor scrapes. I focus on conjuring a kasha to throw to the enemy. And immediately get blasted with another attack. They aren't letting up at all.

The attacks that followed are too much for me to handle, I could only hold out for so long two on one. With every blast, I felt the pain in my body intensify. The amount of wounds increasing in both number and severity.

Within moments I was down on my knees, every feeble barrier I conjure up shattering instantly as a new attack hits it, only doing so much to provide protection against this onslaught. The devils are closing in, it apparently is not enough to see me on the ground coughing up all the blood in my lungs and mouth so I can at least somewhat properly breathe again. They were still ready for anything I might pull if the magic circles on their hands is anything to go by. Just closing in to deal the final blow. What a joke, if they leave me here now there was a good chance I would die from my injuries anyway.

I guess they really don't want to take a chance with me huh, Gritting my teeth I surrender myself to the energy surging around me, letting it flow through me and take control of my actions and thoughts. I feel my own control fade more with every second of this feeling quite at peace with it. Guess I'll give them a reason to be this serious with me then, I'll hurt you as much as I can before I bite the dust.

Senjutsu really has a way of making you lose control, and this is the second time now I use it this way. It was nothing short of a miracle I snapped myself out of the trance like state I was in last time and Im highly doubtful I'll snap out of it this time. But I will make these guys feel as much pain as I possibly can even if the cost was either my sanity or my life. Maybe it will even turn out to be both I think to myself. That was alright, liberating even.

No more worries about where I should sleep, no more worries about what to eat and how to get that food and no more worries about Shirone. I almost laugh at that thought as it seems to be so unimportant now. The only thing that mattered was the power at my disposal, the power of life itself.

I turn my focus towards the devils again and Im startled the world around me appears so incredibly vibrant and intense. I can hear their heartbeats as clear as drums from over 10 meters away. Their breath the sound of a hurricane. And I want nothing more than to silence that deafening noise.

I release a lot of the energy in a violent burst around me, momentarily stunning the devils by blowing them back. Their clothes tear somewhat and I can feel their insides screaming in pain from what I just let loose on them. Music to my ears. What I exactly did just now I do not know, all I know is that it feels so good to hurt them. I stand up again and just relish in my new-found power.

And after they regain their footing the two devils continue their assault, still being very much in fighting shape.

I yell something, not even registering what it was. It probably is some kind of taunt or insult judging by their reaction. It became quite resolved and solemn. Bunch of sticks in the mud.

The clearing becomes a wasteland as our attacks clash over and over. And my wounds are getting more severe every time they did. I don't feel a thing, being hurt is the least of my worries after all. Or maybe it was the first of my worries, who knows? I just don't care about any of that anymore. I hurt them and they hurt me, that is all that is happening. And even as I fall down to the ground again, covered in blood and dirt. Clearly defeated as the power running through me dissipates. I still laugh and cackle and promise them death by my hands.

They prepare for their final strike to completely obliterate my pathetic existence, their attention completely on me and therefore completely miss the two figures standing behind them because of it. A large wolf charges towards one of the devils, while the humanoid releases a blast of magic at the other and catching them both completely unaware from behind. Their strikes are precise and coordinated, knocking both devils out simultaneously.

Immediately diving on top of both devils the boy conjures up a near innumerable amount of tiny magic circles that apparently did something to the devil on the ground. And when he was done with his victim the other quickly got the same treatment.

After that he shifts his attention over to me, and as soon as he does so, I feel at peace again. Not at all similar to how I felt moments ago, wanting to rip people apart and take in all the energy I possibly could and then some. It's able to snap me out of my trance and the full impact the battle had hits me like a truck. The pain is nearly unbearable. If I wasn't so exhausted I probably would scream my lungs out.

It's scary how I didn't even acknowledge all of this pain during my battle simply due to letting go of my control.

The world around me darkens some more and becomes more unfocussed by the second, my eyes start to flutter as I rapidly lose consciousness probably due to blood loss and trauma. The pain slowly dulls much to my relief, changing from a searing pain to a quiet throbbing.

I can't help but form a smirk of some kind, at the very least those devils got what they deserved. Yeah I would rather focus on anything positive in my final moments. And maybe it is because I'd rather focus on that I completely ignore the boy drawing his sword and running at me, poised to strike.

I never even feel the blade connect, already unconscious before he reached me. I am dead regardless, how doesn't matter that much anyway.

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 **Welp, there we have it. See you next year for chapter 2 I guess.**

 **In all seriousness, please review! I'd love to hear what you all think of this. PM me any questions you may have. Ill try to answer them as quickly as possible.**


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